THE PULL - February 2006
Written by your fellow AFDC members
Edited by Michelle 'Mikey' Young
Webified by Rick Wyatt
Message from La Presidenta
Written by Jenny Lee
Hi Gang!!!
WOW!!! Another year has come and gone, and the AFDC is into 2006.
There is a lot in store for us. First, I want to introduce you to your
steering committee:
President: Jenny Lee (yes the last name is Lee)
Fields: Romey Connell
Treasurer: Ryan Hersey
Secretary: Linda Nordahl
Membership Director: Jenny Lee/Natalie
Street
Social Director: Britt Dunn
Web guys: Rick Wyatt, Shannon Wrege, Michael
Wood, David Leedle, Tim Whelan
Terminus: Sam Cooke
Newsletter/PR: Michelle Young
Summer league: Teddy Schaffer
Saturday Summer league: Matt Sayad
Spring Ultimate: Brian Lynch
Spring Goaltimate: Ben Rainwater
Fall Ultimate: Jonathan Tubbs
Fall Goaltimate: Ed Serzo,
who has moved so we will be looking for someone 2006
Women’s League: Holly Sommers
Winter Goaltimate: Kate Wilson
Twelve Days: Jeremy Arkenbout
Juniors Director: open
Yep, there have been a few changes over this past year. Romey
is on his second child, so obviously he’s extremely busy, which is why
his efforts are directed to fields. Barckley
is on his what? 10th kid now, which pretty much dictates
his social calendar, and Kirk Duchow moved
to Colorado.
All of the folks mentioned above have really done or still do SOOO
much, please be sure to thank them for ALL of their hard work. They
selflessly volunteer their time to make sure you enjoy yourselves.
So, what’s going on for 2006 you ask? Well, several things. After
winter leagues begin the 7th of January, we really hunker
down to get Terminus going. We have separate weekends for college and
club, but this year we are also adding a separate juniors division which
will be held at the Emory field site on March 11/12. This means that
the college team numbers will be lower than
last year because we will only have one field site. We will need more
volunteers than ever so if you are interested in giving back to the
AFDC, be sure to step up when we call for volunteers.
After Terminus begins preparation for our annual summer league, which
is by far the biggest league that is run here in the AFDC. We are constantly
looking for fields, so if you know of any that would possibly be available
please let Romey or myself know about them
so we can get in touch with the proper people. Field space and captains
are our limiting factors with summer league, so let’s make sure we are
taking care of those fields that we use regularly.
Before I close, I also want to recap 2005. We had a fantastically
fun year here in the AFDC. The number in our leagues has been growing
and growing, but the number of women that play each season is slowly
declining. Let’s look to make 2006 the year that we could finally have
a 4/3 ratio on the field at all times for league play. It means it
would increase our number of captains needed and our field space, but
I’m sure all you guys out there would love to have more women around.
I know Romey would.
Summer league was great, at least in my opinion. Overall spirit captured
the league, and even though there were a few mishaps, people really
demonstrated good spirit. EOS was rough with the huge thunderstorms
that rolled through on Saturday afternoon, but all of you made Teddy’s
job easier by displaying your flexibility of showing up even earlier
than usual on Sunday to finish pool play. Speaking of rain, thanks to ALL of you for your concern for the shape
of the fields. I think I saw a forum post as early as 11
AM one day with concern for game cancellations. Of course
it was a little too early to call games, but much appreciated. I was
a little disappointed with our Game of the Week participation. No,
I’m not talking about the teams that actually played, but those that
actually showed up to watch. It’s really a great time to get together
and hang out with other league players, friends and heckle. This year
I’m hoping to get some food and beverages out there a little more often
so people can come and hang out for a while before heading home. I
do want to see more teams in costume this year. It makes it fun for
the fans, who are really the ones to enjoy the game. Oh,
and definitely more listening to the fans for what to throw needs to
be done as well!!
Weather was great through the spring and fall seasons. Too bad that
big storm came through and caused me to cancel the rest of Spring EOS.
Yes, that was my mistake, but those of us who rode it out had a super
great time. If you didn’t stay, you missed Nate
Edwards’ grilling talent. A Publix run was
made, and some stayed for burgers, chips, and beer. Don’t know how
many of those who stayed actually made it to the party that evening
b/c we were out there later than usual. Fall league EOS, I’m sure Tubbs
will have stuff to say, but from my perspective… NEVER have your birthday
party the night before and invite your teammates to celebrate with you.
Millhouse, well what can I really say, but “doh.”
I’ll wrap it up now so you can read about the other things going on
with the AFDC. I will say though, let’s make 2006 even more fun than
last year. We had some money left over from 2005, so we decided to
put it into more parties. Who could ask for a better use for money?
Have a great one, and always feel free to come join me on the sidelines.
One of us will have to share our beverages.
Lastly, I just want to say thanks to you all for your support during
this transition of Romey stepping down. His
shoes are incredibly hard to follow, but I promise to do my absolute
best. You all have really made my year FABULOUS!!!!
See you on the fields!!!
JLee
Chain Lightning
Written by Ryan Balch
Chain went to 4 major tournaments this season before heading into the
championship series. With a short squad (not just because it included
Matt Trapp) in Austin, Chain knocked off the Condors before losing in
the finals to Johnny Bravo. At the next tournament in the Furniture
City Classic, Chain made it to the finals before losing double game
point to Ring in a heartbreaker. This trend would only continue a few
weeks later in D.C. when after knocking off Dog, Chain lost again in
the finals to Ring in an extremely close game. With a short stop of
losing in the finals again in Baton Rouge (we returned our t-shirts
with the phrase "2nd place is the first to lose") Chain headed
out to California for the Santa Cruz tourney. Although many of the games
were close, losses to Jam and Rhino left Chain with a 6th place finish.
Chain did manage to pull of a finals victory a few weeks later at sectionals
over a Jon Cobb led Rumblefish leading into a regionals show-down.
After finally getting on top last year against Doublewide to win regionals,
this game lived up to the regular Chain-Doublewide finals excitement.
Behind 11-9, Chain reeled off 3 in a row complete with ridiculous catches
by John Hammond and some amazing D's by Hensley and Simpson. Coming
in seeded 9th for nationals, Chain knew that it had to take care of
business against 8th seeded Dog for a chance to make power pools. With
3 breaks in the first half things were looking good, but too many injuries
to the offensive team left tired legs for the second half. The downhill
slide continued with losses to the Condors and Ring (after being assessed
5 points while watching Ozone qualify for worlds) that left Chain with
the "don't ask me about nationals" distinction of 14th place.
Overall good season, but look forward to our youth movement next year
(average age drops 6.9 years per player as Dave Goode retires).
Roster: Chris Atkinson, Ryan Balch, Adam Boyd, Brian Cornelison, Noah
Eden, Eric Ewald, Dave Goode, Jay Hammond, John Hammond, Jeff Jones,
Grant Kirby, Josh Markette, Jonathan Monforti, Calvin Oung, Hensley
Sejour, Crawford Shippey, Jason Simpson, Ben Spears, George Stubbs,
Greg Swanson, AJ Tiarsmith, Matt Trapp, Dylan Tunnell, Jonathan Monforti.
Chain from a High School Perspective
Written by George Stubbs
Paideia School Junior
The first Chain practice after I made the team, I remember feeling
absolutely hopeless. It was July, and one of the hottest days of the
summer. We were a little short on numbers with about eight people for
both the offense and the defense. We played three 5-pulls in a row with
very few breaks. I was guarding Cricket the whole time, and all I can
recall was how hot, sweaty, and exhausted I was. Other than the tryouts,
this was the first taste of the team that I'd dreamt about playing for
throughout high school.
Looking back on that first practice, I realize just how far I've come.
Since I started playing for Chain I've gotten in better shape, improved
my skill level, and developed a better mental game. Looking at the player
I was compared to what I am now is incredible. What makes it even better
is that I've developed these aspects of my game being tutored and taught
by players that I've been in awe of ever since I started playing ultimate
in fourth grade. Jason was one of the counselors back then, and he remains
one of the people that I respect most. But it wasn't just him. Everyone
on the team helped me out and gave me advice throughout the season.
I can't tell you how good it feels to get a compliment or some constructive
criticism, because whenever that happens, I know that people appreciate
me. This was the best part of the whole season. With the help of all
the guys, instead of being the kid who never really plays, I became
an equal, and was respected as both a player and a person. And I made
friends. Now that we're in the off-season, I miss everyone. At first
I was worried about the social aspects of Chain, but that was really
a waste of time. Sure, I may have paid for some beer that I didn't drink,
and I never went to a tournament without my parents, and I was always
the one that got heckled, but really I was just another rookie and as
much part of the team as anyone.
Speaking more for the whole team when I say this, I think that we all
know that we could have done better throughout the season. We definitely
underachieved in some cases. We lost a couple of painful close ones
to Ring, and also definitely could've won a couple more in Santa Cruz.
On the other hand, we also had our highlights. We won Regionals over
Doublewide in a close game, but in my mind, nothing was better than
the double game point win over DoG at the Chesapeake Open in Maryland.
At Nationals we didn't do as well as we had hoped, but I still had a
great time. The whole tournament has such a great atmosphere to it,
and it's just so much fun. It was the perfect end to my first season.
Overall, I had such a great experience, and at 16, I'm so thankful for
being given the opportunity.
Rumble Fish
Written by Eric Sweet
Atlanta finally has another open team:
Rumble Fish. It is long past due. Why is it that, despite so many talented
ultimate players in the city, only Chain represents Atlanta in the open
division? With the 2005 summer league coming to a close, the question
of what to do for the club season came up. Two players, Eric "Wart"
Swett and Ricardo Perez from Wiffle Ball, decided it was time to have
a second team to represent Atlanta. With very little time left to submit
a roster for the club season, they came up with a conglomeration of
summer league talent and a few out-of-towners. The team members ranged
from new and fairly inexperienced to the 52-year-old veteran Chester.
Rumble Fish, in its infancy, competed in only a couple of tournaments
before the club championship series. Rumble Fish's record before sectionals
was 11-2, which included going undefeated in Chattanooga's S.A.M.S.G.U.T.
Rumble Fish ended its season by placing 9th at regionals with losses
to the 2nd and 5th place finishers Doublewide and Sucker Punch, respectively.
Our goal for the upcoming season is to compete in more tournaments leading
up to sectionals and improve our regional standing, overall working
toward a bid to nationals. Rumble Fish is looking for talented and dedicated
players interested in joining a team whose goals are for success and
fun.
If you are interested, please email Eric Swett at wart_33@yahoo.com
or Rick Perez at rickp419@yahoo.com
. Also, keep checking the message board for announcements regarding
official tryouts.
Roster: Daniel "Tube" Bayley, Harding Brumby, John Cobb, Carlo
DePena, Brian "Edge" Edgerton, Preston Galle, Chester Harich,
Nate Harper, Peter Jenkins, Dan Konisky, Phil Mantel, Jordan Paul, Rick
Perez, Keith Raynor, Brian "Spaz" Sansbury, Gregg "Shaps"
Shapiro, Eric "Wart" Swett, Alex Thompson, Ben Turner and
Joe Waterbury.
Ozone
Written by Jen Smith
2005
was the best of times for Ozone, and 2005 was the worst of times. There
was good Ozone, and there was bad Ozone. But, in the end, the ladies
of O triumphed in Sarasota, qualifying for the semi-finals for the first
time in three years and securing a berth at the 2006 World Championships
in Perth, Australia next November.
After suffering some costly injuries during Nationals last year, Ozone
wanted to increase roster size for the 2005 season. Veteran players
Lori Nacius and Mara Lindsley-Smith, and rookies Chowning Johnson and
Leila Tunnell, had left the team over the winter, but the return of
veteran handlers Kat Kidd-Shippey and Lori Parham, plus the return-to-health
of Eileen Murray, left the team in good position to fill out the roster.
Ozone added just 4 'rookies' total this year: Erin Quist, Mikey Young,
Lori Parham and Martha McClain joined or rejoined the team (it's confusing,
I know). The season began with 22 players.
But, fate had a different game planned for Ozone, namely 'survivor-handler
pod.' In July at the first annual Winston Cup tournament in North Carolina,
bad field conditions claimed the life of captain Angela Lin's ACL, and
sidelined the Team USA player for the rest of the season. It was an
extremely sad moment for the team, one that made the rest of the tournament
difficult to manage. In my opinion, Angela was in the best shape and
form of her life, and her play thus far had been no less than inspiring.
The team went 3-3 for the weekend and lost in the finals to Backhoe-15
to 12.
But, Ozone rebounded and showed up in excellent form at the Emerald
City Classic in Seattle Washington in August. The team's first game
was against last year's National Champions, Seattle Riot. Ozone entered
half in the lead at 8-6, but a costly error on the end zone line after
a time out in the second half made the score 8-7, which is a LOT different
than 9-6. Riot's defense stepped it up, and after some lay out D blocks
they took took control, winning 15-12.
Ozone played well at ECC with a small 15-player roster, beating Rare
Air, Home Brood, and one other team. Losses were to the Rough Riders
(formerly Prime), Fury and Riot. It was in the end of the Fury game
that Ozone suffered another painful loss-on a lay out D in the endzone,
captain Holly Sommers was squashed by a great big leaping Fury player.
Holly was fine, but her knee was soon to become GIANT and DISGUSTING.
Ozone didn't know it at the time, but another captain was about to be
voted off the handler pod island, as Holly would be sidelined for the
entire month of September.
With 2 of the 3 captains injured, and the handler pod void of two big
leaders, some 'Junior Handlers' were quickly groomed for the position.
Texas-emeritus Cara Crouch was lifted from relative obscurity to fill
in and perennial crowd-pleaser Katherine Wooten was again robbed of
the opportunity to play deep just once in her life. Soon, Cara would
rue the day she ever uttered the H word, as the team traveled to Santa
Cruz. Despite the best efforts of our crutcheted captains, the team
could not rise above some early errors, and remained plagued by drops
and throw-aways much of Saturday. Ozone went 0-4 on Saturday, losing
to Safari, Riot, Rare Air and Rough Riders. On Sunday Ozone played like
they had something to prove, going 2-0, beating Brute Squad, and Skyline,
from CA.
Mid-way through the B bracket finals against Skyline, Cara went up
for a high overhead D, but landed on her left toe with her knee bent,
placing her full body weight on her ankle. When the offensive player
she was guarding also fell on the little crouching tiger, well, let's
just say there was a snap. A loud one. The sight of Cara being carried
off the field, and the odd U-shaped bend a few inches above her ankle,
left the team quiet, disheartened, and pissed. After Lisa Kotora suffered
her third concussion of the season at the hands of a late, cheap D attempt,
there was little or no question about who would win that game. Ozone
retaliated by ensuring that their opponent would be virtually scoreless
in the second half.
Ozone returned to Atlanta 3 players down, one player confused, and concerned
about the future of the season. Cara learned that she had a corkscrew
break in her left fibula, and would require surgery to repair the damage,
to the tune of one metal plate and several metal screws. She would not
be able to run, or even walk without crutches, for several months. But,
Cara ensured the team that she would stick with them through the season,
which provided much-needed motivation.
Despite the relative ease of a three-team sectional tournament, regionals
would not prove to be ordinary. Ozone played well on Sunday, winning
most games by a wide margin. Because of the format of regionals, Ozone's
first game would be the 'front door' finals against Zanzara. The weather
was not very kind, intermittently rainy cold and windy, or, sunny hot
and still. Zanzara played a 4 person cup that highlighted the difficult
conditions and taxed the team's abilities. But, as the game was capped
at 11-9 with Ozone in the lead, no one was very concerned. Three points
later, however, Ozone had just lost the southern regional championship
title for the first time since its first win in 1989. Ozone went on
to meet Strike in the back door finals and won, securing a berth to
Nationals.
Losing to Zanzara at regionals meant that Ozone had to be seeded below
Zanzara at Nationals. But, Zanzara was only attending their second Nationals,
and so did not want to be ranked too highly, which would only make their
road harder. In the end Zanzara and Ozone went in 8th and 9th respectively,
which proved to be beneficial for the Atlanta women. Ozone went 2-1
on Saturday, playing Zanzara, the Capitals, and Riot. The Riot game
went well, Ozone lost 15-9, but were encouraged at the level of game
they brought. The game against Zanzara was clearly fueled by the need
to silence some critics and put to rest any doubts that may have remained
after regionals. I think that was pretty well accomplished.
On Friday, Ozone lost pretty badly to Fury and their heinous 4-person
cup (damn that cup!), but played great in the second game against Safari,
winning 15-10 and securing a spot in the quarter finals. In the quarters,
Ozone met Rare Air, a team they have pretty much an equal number of
wins and losses against. Ozone prevailed, winning 14-11 earning the
right to play in the semi's and that coveted world's bid.
The semi's game against Riot was sloppy, on both teams' parts, due
to the wind and the nerves, but Ozone played hard and never gave up.
Despite the lopsided score, 15-6, it did not appear as though Ozone
laid down. They forced a lot of Riot turnovers, but in the end could
not convert. Several sick plays were by Atlanta's own Riot girl Miranda
Roth, and Kati Halmos, and soon it was clear Riot would be defending
their title in the finals.
It's important to say that in addition to injuries, players were being
tested by family, work and personal issues that when added to such a
discouraging loss at regionals really tested everyone's faith and patience.
But, through it all, healthy captain and resident happy person Mak Keltner
really worked hard to keep the team together. (Thanks Mak, you're the
best;)
Nationals play highlighted the inspiring talents of UGA's Maggie Jackson
and Shanye Crawford, Emory graduates Laura Gold, Erin Quist-Coker and
Martha McClain. Lisa and Holly again proved that no one else comes to
win more than they do, and Eileen played better this year than I have
ever seen her play. (I find myself saying that more and more these days-she
never ceases to amaze me). Sophomore Tech player Kate Wilson continues
to silence the critics ('the critics' being the voices in her head)
with near perfect stats, and I see visions of future greatness in the
sick throws of the most talented Wooten of the clan. 2006 bodes well
for the ladies of O-see you at tryouts!!!
Roster: Angie Ahlquist, Andrea Burridge, Erin Coker, Shanye Crawford,
Cara Crouch, Kelly Durbin, Julia Echteroff, Laura Gold, Margaret Jackson,
Martha Allison Keltner, Katherine Kidd-Shippey, Lisa Kotora, Angela
Lin, Martha McLain, Eileen Murray, Lori Parham, Jen Smith, Holly Sommers,
Amanda Strout, Kate Wilson, Katherine Wooten and Michelle Young.
Strike
Written by Jennifer Pennington
Beginning its third year with returning
veterans and some new talent, Strike hoped to repeat its huge first
year triumph-going to Nationals. The first opportunity to play against
some of the hottest teams in women's ultimate presented itself early
in the season at the Winston Cup, a new women's tournament in Winston-Salem,
NC. In the first game of the day against Backhoe, Strike may have surprised
even themselves with some hot long shots for goals early in the game.
It proved to be an uphill battle (literally, the field was sloped) against
a huge Backhoe squad, and Strike's small squad of ten lost momentum
in the second half. Strike finished the day 1-3 with only nine healthy
players, but felt encouraged after coming up with some big plays against
tough teams Bnogo and Wahine.
Next, Strike traveled to Toss in the Moss with nine players where they
won the tournament for the second year in a row. At Shawn Adams, another
slim roster of eight managed to pull out wins against all comers and
won their second tournament of the season. These victories paved the
way for success at Sectionals in Atlanta, where Strike played sister-team
Ozone and Savannah's Savage Booty. (Yes, you're reading that right,
there were only THREE women's teams in our Section this year.) Sectionals
presented a unique opportunity for team bonding as it was the first
tournament of the season for Strike to play at full strength.
Building unity and infused by energy from the return of some solid
veterans, Strike looked forward to the synergy that would surely bring
Regionals victories. On Saturday, Strike defeated a young Diva squad,
Rip Tide and Cujo. In their Saturday game against Ozone, Strike took
a calculated risk by "saving themselves" for what would prove
to be their most competitive game of Regionals against Zanzara. Zanzara
went up early, with strong throws and huge zone defense, taking the
half at 7-0. Needless to say, a frustrated Strike had to pull themselves
together. Strong leadership and competitive spirit fueled the fire and
Stike managed to score five points in a row against a bewildered Zanzara.
Huge defensive plays from Kristen Jacobsen and Natalie Street short
deep and deep-deep positions in the zone (respectively) and Theo Beck's
cool, calculated offense brought Strike back into the fray. Unfortunately,
Strike's low numbers eventually took a toll, momentum shifted and Zanzara
took the game, winning 15-6. On Sunday, Ozone defeated the humbled Strike
squad, ending any hopes of returning to Nationals.
Strike hopes to overcome the notorious "third year curse"
for new teams and return stronger than ever in 2006. STRIKE IT UP!
STRIKE Roster: Theo Beck, Holly Berman, Lara Church, Erica Connelly,
Brigette Flood, Karen Johnson, Emily Jones, Jenny Lee, Bex Levine, Chris
O'Cleary, Jennifer Pennington, Annie Perry, Abbie Roberts, Natalie Street
and Lauren Truxillo
Rival
Written by Jason Edelman
If
the accuracy of a team's name in describing its season was the gauge
of its success, Rival would have undoubtedly won the national title
in 2005. Ironically, it was Rival's rival who knocked them out of contention
to even make a nationals appearance. However, a nationals bid is about
as accurate a gauge of the success of a team's season as its name. While
Rival did not achieve its goal to reach nationals in 2005, the season
was considered a success by all.
The beginning of the season was filled with uncertainties as several
regulars left the squad in search of greener, or baby-filled, pastures.
Tryouts lasted much longer than normal and the team wasn't actually
set until a little before the second tournament. With the team in such
disarray and most of the team members never having played with one another,
it was a wonder that the team fared well at all. Well, actually, it's
not such a wonder when you have such knowledgeable and disciplined captains
at the helm as Michael Wood and Ned Coker. Realizing that 2005 was going
to be a rebuilding year, they intelligently adapted the team focus from
the typical "play to win" attitude to a more team-oriented
"40 yards of Hell," meaning that if teams were going to beat
us, they're going to have to go through Hell to get there.
In order to achieve this goal, you could have found Rival sprinting
and cutting on any practice field where the ratio of grass to rocks
was positive. At our first "tournament" (a series of scrimmages
against Holes 'n Poles and Shotgun), we caught a glimpse of our potential
after staging a 7-0 comeback run against last year's top-ranked team
HnP, even though we ended up short of a win.
All year round we caught glimpses. At SMUT, there were times we watched
ourselves devour teams and other times where we self-destructed. At
Toss in the Moss we played a game with JOTS (our section's champion)
that if any singular play would have ended differently, we might have
won, and then playing against Hot 'n Sweaty we couldn't move the disc
out of our endzone. At Shawn Adams we smoked the competition, winning
our pool and focusing on the finals, only to be blindsided again by
our rivals, Shotgun.
But coming into sectionals, we were no longer the ragtag group of individuals
that had pretty good skills. We were Rival. Our hard work was starting
to be realized and our cohesion was easily apparent as we walked through
our first two games at Sectionals. Again, we met Shotgun, and again
we could not prevail. However, after a disappointing 15-13 loss to a
wily Soul Patrol in the first round of the Championship bracket, we
won out, beating Soul Patrol so badly in a rematch for the fourth spot
that they decided against sending a team to Regionals.
At Regionals we faced an excellent Hang Time team that blanked us in
the first half, as the offense simply could not get things going. The
second half, however, was all about Rival, as we scored six unanswered
points in a row, forcing them to slow down and regroup, before eventually
overpowering us. Afterwards, they said that Rival gave them the biggest
scare of the tournament. Since we couldn't win our pool of three, we
were placed in the second place bracket with 11 other teams all vying
for the one coveted spot that would take the victor to Sarasota.
After a relatively easy game against Los Tlacuaches! (the possums,
in Spanish), a very new, very spirited team out of Texas, we again came
head-to-head with, you guessed it, Shotgun. This game was amazing. Imagine
an epic battle from a medieval war movie and add a Frisbee instead of,
well, weapons. It was overcast and a smidge chilly, with a firm wind
snapping across the field. Threatening clouds hovered in the east, providing
an ominous drum roll for the ensuing battle. You may think my description
is either cheesy or fake or both, but if you ask any other Rivaler,
he or she will tell you the exact same thing. This game was that big.
We hadn't beaten them all season. Not at SMUT, not at Shawn Adams,
not at Toss in the Moss, not at Sectionals. This game was no longer
the game we had to win to move on down the road to nationals. This game
was simply the game we had to win. Early on, neither team would yield
as we traded points for most of the first half. Shotgun then took the
lead, nearly taking half before Rival converted several D's to take
half 8-7. It seemed like everything was going in our favor. We were
getting D's at will, our offense was effective, and they were screaming
at each other. Following half, we fought and scrapped and tacked four
more onto our tally to their one, making the score a seemingly insurmountable
12-8.
And then, as if on cue, the rain came. Whatever glue that had been
holding us together those previous 20 points dissolved under the rain
as we made turnover after turnover. 12-9. 12-10. 12-11. Our dream was
slipping away from us before our eyes and we could not do a damn thing
about it. Every time we worked it all the way into the red zone, we
simply could not convert. A nearly 70-yard offensive possession D'd
on the endzone. A full-field huck counter. 12-12. For lack of a better
idea to jump start our O, we mixed up our lines, scoring the next one
easily, bringing it to 13-12. 13-13. The wind and rain rattled both
teams to the point where throwing a flick became nearly impossible.
Another failed O attempt, another D conversion. 13-14. Obviously, from
here out it was do or die. We received the pull and began flowing nicely
up the field, dumping and swinging the way we had practiced endlessly
all season. Our downfield cutters were losing their men, and our handlers'
throws were on target. But alas, fate would have its way with us as
a crucial drop within 30 yards of the endzone led to a quick series
of passes, and finally a score.
15-13. Some of us wanted to die. There were tears.
But the tears following the disappointing loss to our rival could not
rival the tears at the team circle where we reflected on the season.
These were not sad tears, however. These were tears of pride and thorough
enjoyment. Okay, some of them might have been sad tears, but mostly
sad because our season was over, and frankly, we all just loved playing
together. We were a team that had achieved the highest level of team
camaraderie and cohesion that could be expected from a group of people
ranging in age from 17 to however old Dorsey is, and really, what more
could you ask for?
While in the books Rival's season might not have been among its best,
every single Rivaler would consider the season to be a success. It is
because of this simple truth that in the upcoming season, you do not
want to be Rival's rival.
From the photograph: Top (l-r): Chris "No Bag" Sears, Gerald
"The Show" Chen, Emmie
"Corka" Williams, Malcolm "The Guillotine" Clarke,
Michael "endzone"
Fox, Adrienne "Age" Tecza, Lee "Toe Jam" Lynch,
Michael "Evil" Wood,
Ned "Andy" Coker, Amy "Strawberry Shortcake" Smith,
Dorsey "Doc"
Norwood, John "Chimpo" Reinhold.
Bottow (l-r): Kathleen "KQ" Quinlen, Mati "the 'fro"
Chessin, Lauren
"Stewie" Stewart, Jenny "Jizbang-ed" Yang, Parag
"The Game"
Gajarawala, Jenn "JJ" Joyner, Jason "Air Alert!"
Edelman
Sequence
Written by Jeannie Realkirt-Gulbis
Sequence,
a mixed club team, began its third fall season under captain Jeannie
Reakirt-Gulbis by travelling to Chattanooga for this year's Shawn Adams
Tournament. After being chastised by team coach Randall Anderson for
moderate tardiness, the team began its effort to redeem its place as
the bottom seed in the pool. Despite dropping a double-game-point heartbreaker
to Tater Sak, the team captured solid wins against the third and fourth
seeds in the pool to put itself in contention for Sunday. After some
quality time in the hot tub and dinner downtown, the team made a valiant
showing at the party, led by Rick Wyatt and Julia Daly. Sunday began
early with a solid win against Ah Fudge / East Atlanta before running
into an inspired Shotgun. Sequence's Darin Heuermann literally gave
Shotgun the finger, finding his pinky bent at a ninety-degree angle
at the knuckle following an odd collision with Shotgun's Teddy Schaffer.
Losing one of its main handlers made the ensuing rematch against Tater
Sak all the more difficult.However, thanks in part to stepped-up play
from Kevin Brown and Maryann Rose and a momentum-shifting layout score
by Jeannie, Sequence battled to vanquish Saturday's loss (and Darin's
finger) with a closely-fought two-point win. The drama of the day left
Sequence at a disadvantage as it entered the B finals against IP, who
felt they needed a crafty "half-back pass" play to take the
victory.
As always, the strength of Atlanta's mixed division makes for a very
competitive Sectionals, and this year was no exception. Sequence had
solid first-halves against Shotgun, Rival, and IP, but took its only
Saturday win against Emory. The team knew it was still in contention
for a Regionals bid, but needed a Sunday win against the reincarnated
Atlas to earn it. On paper, the game appeared to be a relatively lopsided
matchup, with one or two Sequence players having as much tournament
experience as most of Atlas' players combined. In reality, the youthful
bunch brought out some absolutely phenomenal early-morning play. With
the game knotted at ten, Sequence found a way to pull down the final
two points, with Tonya Lanthier sprinting deep to snag the game-winning
score.
While a trip to Nationals sounded nice, 12th-seeded Sequence decided
to relinquish that goal in advance and aim to have as much fun as possible
at Regionals. The roadblocks came fast and hard, beginning with a tournament
hotel with no continental breakfast and a hot tub that closed at 11pm.
Saturday began with solid starts against Holes and Poles and (for the
third time) Shotgun, but Sequence continued to struggle with its second-halves.
The team found itself in a must-win game against Florida's Alpha Omega
Ultimate, and pressed through a hard-fought game to take the two-point
win. IP arrived for the cross-over game, and, given the previous two
match-ups, seemed to be expecting an easy game. Instead, the game turned
into a battle, with IP eventually finding their footing late in the
second half to take the win. After noshing on Italian food, the team
aimed for the party, only to discover it practically over by 10pm. Undaunted,
Sequence took the party to their hotel room, even dragging Jason Simpson
out of a booty call and occasionally waking up his Chain teammates across
the hall.
With the A bracket out of the picture, Sequence began Sunday with a
hotly-contested game against Florida's Reentry. Highlighted by Patrick
Corn's breakmark scoobers and a garbage-collecting layout score by Chris
Blackburn, Sequence took the windy game, and faced Death Knell for ninth
place. The consistent wind made the game somewhat ugly to watch, but
Sequence, aided by several solid defensive plays by Rick Wyatt and stepped-up
offensive work by Sam Cooke and Marlys Brothers, took the win to capture
ninth place. The team returned to Atlanta proud of its successful season,
but especially proud of its commitment to fun, spirited play.
For more information about Sequence, contact Jeannie Reakirt-Gulbis
at Jcrwkgtkg@aol.com.
Roster: Randall Anderson, Craig Arnold, Nat Aryucharoen, Chris Blackburn,
Marlys Brothers, Kevin Brown, Sam Cooke, Patrick Corn, Julia Daly, Darrell
Drogula, Robert Dulaney, Stacey Hartmann, Darin Heuermann, Tonya Lanthier,
Linda Nordahl, Jeannie Reakirt-Gulbis, Maryann Rose, Alex Washington,
Chris Witmer and Rick Wyatt
Shotgun
Written by Susie Mercer
"More Dancing, Less Clothing"
When
last season's Show 'n Tail morphed into this season's Shotgun, it seemed
that the planets had aligned in preparation for a heavenly season. Additions
like strong-arms Teddy Schaffer and Ray Davenport, speedsters Natalie
Dale and Stacey Taylor, and rock-solid Caroline McClure rounded out
an already impressive roster. But this season's competition proved too
much for the new sqaud, even coupled with a foundation of team veterans.
Despite Ed Serzo's intensity, Robert White's ups and Annie Newton's
endurance, Shotgun couldn't pull it out at regionals against the likes
of strong newcomers JOTS and Hot and Sweaty, much less old schoolers
like Hangtime. Nonetheless, the whole team agrees that they couldn't
have asked for better teammates, and probably
couldn't have had more fun. From winning Shawn Adams to guffawing over
DDR at Ray's house (More dancing, less clothing),Shotgun's season was
a memorable
one.
Roster: Avi Brisman, Emily Clausen-Wooley, Billy Cook, Natalie Dale,
Ray Davenport, Laura Fanucci, Jeremy Goecks, Adam McCargo, Caroline
McClure, Susie Mercer, Annie Newton, Scott Sample, Teddy Schaffer, Ed
Serzo, Samantha Stovall, Stacey Taylor, Justin Vogt and Robert White.
Juniors Ultimate in Atlanta
Written by Britt Dunn, Georgia State Youth Coordinator
upa_ga_syc@upa.org
This October, Paideia hosted the first
of what will hopefully be a seriesof mini-tournaments around Atlanta
for high school and junior high
players. Since many developing squads can't bring a full team, and sincethere
are players who don't have a team at their schools, the format issomewhat
hat-ish. A group of players from one school can combo with agroup from
another, and singles are added to round out the teams.
Seven schools were represented at the last mini-tourney and so far
ten(including Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe from north Georgia) have promised
to attend the next one, scheduled for Jan 21 and hosted by North Springs
HighSchool. Any adults that wish to show up to cheer, coach, or connect
with a local team are welcome to come out.
As well as being an opportunity to play some good-natured Ultimate
and meet other youth players, these tournaments also help develop new
players and support players from schools without well-established programs.
In turn, it gives more experienced and supported players a chance to
share
what they know, model spirited play, and foster the growth of the sport
they love. For more information, check out the Juniors forum thread
at AFDC.com.
High School Terminus, March 11-12
This year at High School Terminus we have room for twelve open teams
at Emory University's fields and nine girl's teams at Paideia's Python
Park. So far we've heard from teams in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin,
North and South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. For more information
or to submit a bid, check out www.afdc.com/terminus.
Volunteering at High School Terminus is another great opportunity to
support the growth of youth Ultimate. If you are free that weekend to
help out at the fields, send me an e-mail at the above address.
High School Spring League
This spring is the second season of the High School Ultimate League
in Atlanta. Any Atlanta High School team is free to register in the
league and schedule scrimmages with other local schools. We hope to
make High School Ultimate games less hard to find and give local teams
a chance to challenge themselves through spirited competition. This
league will also generate standings for the Georgia State Championship
Tournament at the end of the season, a step toward playing in UPA High
School Eastern's. Membership in the Ultimate Player's Association (www.upa.org)
is required to play in the league, the state championship, and Eastern's.
Erin Gawron, coach at Heritage High School, will be coordinating the
league this year. For more information or to register a team in the
league, join the Georgia High School Ultimate yahoo group (http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/GHSU/).
Call for coaches and volunteers
High School players in Atlanta come from: Galloway, Lovett, Marietta
High, Blessed Trinity, Osborne, Woodward, Heritage High, Lassiter, North
Springs, Paideia, Lakeside, Westminster, Marist, Jonesboro, Riverwood,
and Avondale.
Many of these programs are just starting and need the help of supportive
adults. If you're free, even just one day a week, and willing to help
Atlanta youth Ultimate grow, please contact me at upa_ga_syc@up.org.
High School Ultimate
Written by Erin Gawron
Are you in high school (or do you teach
high school) and do you LOVE the game of ultimate?
Consider getting a team together and joining the Georgia High School
Ultimate (GHSU) League!
Starting at the beginning of February, many high school teams from
around the metro-Atlanta area and some from other areas of the state
get together and compete to see who is the best team in the state! The
season culminates at the end of April with a UPA sanctioned state tournament.
Seeding for the tournament comes from wins and losses throughout the
season.
The league is a lot of fun and great way to meet other young ultimate
players from around the state. It is also a good way for a lot of our
young players to gain experience and play on college or club teams in
the future. If you are interested in being a part of the league or have
any questions, contact Erin Gawron, the spring league organizer, at
egawron@rockdale.k12.ga.us.
Fall League 2005
Written by Jonathan Tubbs
Fall
League 2005. "What have I gotten my self into?" I thought
as I abdicated (ed. note: look this word up, Jonathan)
to Jenny Lee to be Commish this season. Well it turned out not to
be too much of a big deal....Act like I'm in charge at draft, tick people
off with calling caps, and I even get a fun air horn at the EOS, what
more can you ask for really. As for the season, Golden D took the Regular
Season crown and beat John Koncak for the EOS Title. There were some
good squads all around and I think a pretty evenly matched field that
brought some good match ups. As for my own team "Mason Millers,
What?!" I had a great time with you guys and no, my powers as commish
do not extend to arbitrarily awarding us extra points or changing the
laws of physics to make the sun stand still to extend cap play, but
alas it would be nice. So here's to next year...., have a good summer
and fall.
Fall League Goalty
Written by Doug Duschene
Well
another great season of fall goalty has come and gone. As the summer
crowd returned home to prepare for the long winter ahead, the fall faith-fulls
were just
getting started. With all the teams looking pretty powerful on paper
it took some cool nights and hot competition to sort things out. At
the end of the season Ed Serzo's team had the commanding lead at 6-0.
Followed in order by Teddy, Drew, and Dave Heeden.
A one day event with a single elimination bracket made for some fierce
but spirited games. The semi-finals boiled down to Ed vs. Doug and Teddy
vs. Drew. Without the talents of their captain, Ed's team was unable
to hold on to their undefeated season allowing Doug's team to go on
to the finals. On the other field Drew and Teddy were battling it out.
Drew's team gave them a fight but couldn't defeat Teddy in the end.
The stage was set for the final game of fall goalty. Teddy vs. Doug.
It was no surprise to anyone that the Fab Four was able to come out
victorious over the underdogs. And in true humility Teddy went on to
tell the AFDC forum
that "we pretty much rolled, even the finals were 5-0, 5-0, 5-2."
Congratulations to Teddy and his team for "rolling" to victory!
Thanks to everyone for a great goalty season, even though the odds
were "stacked" against us!
Summer League 2005
Written by Teddy "Commish" Schaffer and Friends
Really Really Ridiculously Good Looking Team choked horribly in EOS
Finals. They were horrendously stacked with talent and beauty, and are
part of the cause for core rule changes.
By: Teddy Schaffer
WHAT TIME IS IT??!?! 420!!!- the cheer that opened every game and what
was always asked after we won the fields every night. Our quote for
the summer? "Drink your beer during the games, save your water
for the ride home." It's why our stack was always in a circle.
By: Jenny Lee
420's record was not a true representation of how we all played. Cold
refreshments were always present. WHAT TIME IS IT???(answer: 420!!!)
By: Jeremy Arkenbout
Summer 2005 was the last summer for a Schmitt team to form. We had
a good time, used our "cheater" defense as often as possible,
and went out in 3rd place.
By: Kate Wilson
I love frisbee. I love Summer League. I love lamp.
By: Jonathan Tubbs
Reeves Family Swingers. Alan, Stu, Kelly, John, JP, Malcolm, Stevie,
Erika, SnackTime, Neal, Shannon, Doug and Kaitlin, Brian, Workman, Felix,
Zach, Karl, Sean and Jim. These are a few of my favorite things.
By: Michelle Young
The East Atlanta Optimist Club celebrated their best season ever. Tempting
Fate, Setting Trends, Changing Lives……Great games and good
times. We won summer league.
By: Brian Lynch
At summer's beginning, OJG was a force
With many a player from a team called Dead Horse
But in the game of the week, the tide suddenly turned
When Maica got hurt, and our good luck was spurned
While the champs we remained for that one fateful night
For the rest of the season, where was our might?
To many an opponent, that was the mystery
As OGJ sank quietly into summer league history
By: Natalie Street
THIS IS A HAIKU OKAY
Courtnee's Birthday Bash
Hatton wears a shock collar
Zap him one more time!
By: Rick Wyatt
Now look, the junk food and the candies just rot your teeth, gives
you bad breath, and the girls run like hell. Arcade games -- pick out
one that you can do. Okay? One that you can do as opposed to a whole
bunch of them that you don't know what the hell you're doing. Techno
music just puts a whole in your brain.
By: Britt Dunn
Saturday League 2005
Written by Matt Sayad
For the first time in five years, we had the right number of registrants
for an EVEN number of teams! After four years of strange schedules to
accommodate five or seven teams, we finally got to play a nice, normal
looking schedule. And the six teams in 2005 marked the second highest
number of teams in the seven year history of Saturday Summer League.
This season, we played at the field site traditionally known as "MLK",
which was convenient because, in addition to its in-town locale, MLK
is one of the few AFDC sites that can support three decent fields. So
this meant all the teams could play at the same time allowing for a
more compact schedule. MLK is also the home field site of our beloved
Eastsiders, who returned once again to form the East Atlanta Junior
Varsity (EAJV) squad.
That's squad, not pod. One of the things I learned in 2005 was that
the majority of the Saturday Summer faithful like it just the way it
is, voting down my suggestion that we shake things up. I had an idea
to form different teams each week by combining "pods" in a
rotating fashion, where a pod was simply a smaller set of players that
wanted to stay together each week. With the poorly attended Saturday
games occasionally disintegrating into pick-up anyway, I thought it
was worth a try. It might yet be a format worth experimenting with,
but for now I'm glad I was brought to my senses.
The EAJV, captained by Brian "We're playing field position, right?"
Lynch, were joined by another returning group of players who happened
to be the defending Saturday champs and who represent the rising talent
of Emory. They were known this year on Saturdays as Klehr and Present
Danger and were captained by Scott "Joseph, for core ranking purposes"
McNally. The other four teams had smaller cores, if any, and therefore
more of an all-draft feel to them. They were, in no particular order
and with captains in parentheses: Pull My Finger (Romey "Who else
would come up with that team name?" Connell); *SIGH*, Add Steam!
(Matt "You're on this team, too?" Sayad); Joba the Gut (Jim
"Captain in absentia" Griffin); and Don't Panic (Alex "Why
don't my ringers ever show up?" DePalma). The Emory crew showed
off their skills, cohesiveness, and good attendance by beating pretty
much everything except for the rain to win the regular season handily.
As hot as the regular season days were, they were nothing compared to
that EOST Saturday. Most of the participants agreed that it was one
of hottest tournament days in recent history. Klehr had the numbers
to survive it along with the top seed and took care of their pool of
three, with Joba and Panic finishing second and third, respectively.
Despite playing savage with four men and three ladies, the second seeded
Steam! contingent made it through the other pool, with Finger and EAJV
finishing second and third, respectively. The crossover semis saw the
top two seeds easily advance as pizza was scarfed by all from the top
of Romey's delivery minivan. Meanwhile, over in the consolation game,
it was Panic over EAJV. Steam! was fortunate to be joined at mid-tournament
by a few more teammates and had just enough energy left to eek out a
closely contested, back and forth final over Klehr by the score of 13-11.
Thanks, everyone, for another fun year, and I'm looking forward to this
coming season.
12 Days of Xmas
Written by Jenny Lee and Craig Arnold
The Twelve Days of Christmas Tournament was held on the weekend of
December 3rd at the Southeastern Athletic Complex.
Jeremy Arkenbout did a FABULOUS job (no, not biased at all) of keeping
everything going the entire weekend. The shirts and discs, designed
by our very own Chris Hatton, were, as usual, terrific and everyone
loved them. The weekend began with anticipation as Jeremy read aloud
the teams. Teams then dispersed and began play. Our own Social Director,
Britt Dunn, ingeniously brought the AFDC outdoor fireplace, which gave
warmth to many throughout the chilly and rainy Saturday. People congregated
around it in between their games and during their byes. It gave people
a chance to chat, heckle, and down Irish Car Bombs.
Saturday ended with Pink, Orange, Red, and Purple in the number 1 slots
for the pools. White won the party on AND off the field, literally.
Ryan Balch and roommates graciously hosted the party. There were cold
and hot drinks provided by Britt, karaoke, and Karen Johnson's infamous
"shot ski." The three things one needs to have a great time
at a party.
Early Sunday morning brought strong rains that led several to believe
that the tournament would be cancelled, but Jeremy made sure we would
all get our money's worth. Mother Nature came through later with some
beautiful sunshine. Games got started a little late, but once they did,
interesting events occurred. Neon Green, who had lost most of their
games on Saturday pulled it out for a shot in the quarters AND semi's.
Black won a shot to head to the quarters. White, I don't think we ever
stopped drinking, did we?
A small misunderstanding with the soccer folks and the B and C brackets
didn't get to finish play, enabling the finals to began a little earlier
than planned. Pink and Orange, the two colors that don't match, were
heading to the finals. Britt came through again with sandwiches and
beverages for everyone to enjoy, keeping spectators happy while watching
the finals. The finals were close, but Pink pulled out the win, 12-10.
Thanks again to everyone who contributed to our canned food drive….we
donated over 300 pounds of canned goods to the Atlanta Community Food
Bank - way to go AFDC'ers!!
A Hat Rule Honorable Mention memory moment from Frito: Holly Sommers
lost her hat in the game against Blue to negate a score, and then nearly
lost her hat a second time only to slow down, grab it one handed behind
her back, speed back up, and lay out to attempt to catch a score (unfortunately
she didn't catch the layout…) but watching her dismiss her hat
twice in one point, and remember halfway through taking it off the second
time was well worth it!!
If you didn't get to play this year, you really missed out, but we
hope to see you in 2006.
In a tragic footnote to the tournament, Romey lost his beloved Nalgene,
and has offered a $0.69 reward for its safe return
.
Editor's Note
Written by Michelle "Mikey" Young
A big thank you to the following people for making this newsletter
happen: Rick Wyatt for making it all beautiful, Jenny Lee for considerable
help in harrassing, David Leedle for the new header! Thanks to everyone
who voluntarily or under extreme duress submitted articles and photographs:
Jenny Lee, Jen Smith, Erin and Ned Coker, Jason Edelman, Michael Wood,
Ryan Balch, George Stubbs, Matt Sayad, Britt Dunn, Erin Gawron, the
unusually verbose Teddy Schaffer, Doug Duschene, Jonathan Tubbs, Eric
Swett, Jennifer Pennington, Susie Mercer, Craig Arnold and Jeannie Reakirt-Gulbis.
If anyone has suggestions for future articles or topics, please shoot
me an email at michellelynyoung@gmail.com.
Thanks!
Feedback/Submissions
Send any newsletter questions, comments, suggestions, or
submissions to Michelle 'Mikey'
Young.
Send any comments or problems with the website version or web navigation
to Rick Wyatt.
